Australian dolphin that prefers to play with humans than other dolphins

Playful dolphin in Australia spends hours with swimmers and surfers at popular
beaches, apparently preferring humans to other dolphins
after being rescued
when stranded

By Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney

2:29PM GMT 07 Jan 2014

A playful dolphin in Australia that appears to prefer human company to other dolphins has surprised wildlife experts after frolicking with swimmers and surfers at some of Sydney’s most popular beaches.

The two-year-old female bottlenose dolphin has approached people in the water and spent hours playing with them, even if they showed little interest. It has allowed people to touch it and popped up around surfers, sometimes grabbing their leg ropes or jumping over their boards.

“She goes out of her way to swim with people,” Peter Bergman, a national parks ranger, told Fairfax Media.

“She will come right up to them. Late last week she appeared next to a surfer, tugged on his leg rope, threw seaweed in the air at him, she jumped over his surfboard and caught waves with him.”

The dolphin was first noticed by rangers about eighteen months ago in an incident which may have caused it to become attached to humans. It was stranded on a sandbank south of Sydney and was freed by rangers after becoming separated from its pod.

However, rangers have warned that the public should not approach the dolphin because it could accidentally hurt someone or become “humanised”.

A Sydney Harbour wildlife service manager, Michael Treanor, warned the dolphin could become too attached to humans and may not want to rejoin its pod.

“Dolphins are a fantastic species and this animal in particular is amazing to watch — but for its welfare and your own safety you need to watch respectfully and from a distance,” he said.

“This is a wild animal and if it is threatened it will act on instinct and could unintentionally hurt someone. Ultimately, if that happens the animal may need to be taken into captivity, which is not what anyone wants ... No matter how well-meaning people are, humanising it further could mean that it is unable to form lasting bonds with other dolphins, which leaves the animal isolated and more susceptible to predation by sharks.” The dolphin has mainly appeared in recent days at Shelly beach, alongside Manly beach – one of the country’s best-known beaches.